Secondary Education: Dance

If you have a passion for learning and performing arts / creativity this course will support you becoming a Dance teacher.

The aim of the Dance course is to develop thoughtful teachers who can respond effectively to the learning needs of young people in school by providing a balanced Dance programme. Inspiring a generation to become physical literate and active, by providing well prepared high quality Dance and creative experiences for all students.

Successful completion of the course will lead to the award Qualified Teacher Status along with 60 credits towards a Masters.

Entry requirements

You will have to possess a passion for physical activity and be able to work with all ranges of ability.

In addition you will need:

A good honours degree in Dance or a highly relevant Physical Education or Sport based degree (content 50% or above).

A good level of personal performance across the range and content of the National Curriculum Dance and Physical Education Programme of Study.

Teaching/coaching (Dance) qualifications to support depth and breadth of National Curriculum activity areas.

You should have recent experience of teaching and learning in secondary school or sixth form contexts, either through paid employment in school/college or through voluntary work/ observation OR be in the process of arranging to gain this.

GCSE grade 4 (previously grade C) or above in English and Mathematics or equivalent. (Please note we do not accept GCSE Equivalent Tests from other institutions or organisations & be aware that not all equivalency tests are accepted, if you unsure please contact our Admissions Department admissions@wlv.ac.uk for clarification). You will be required to provide evidence of your original GCSE qualifications.

You should have recent experience of teaching and learning in secondary school or sixth form contexts, either through paid employment in school/college or through voluntary work/ observation OR be in the process of arranging to gain this.

As competition for places is very strong, increasing numbers of applicants are combining these minimum requirements with additional features such as:

A high grade in a subject related course from the 14-19 curriculum (GCSE, A Level Dance, BTEC)

Competency in ICT through formal qualifications or experience

A first aid qualification

Safeguarding children accreditation

Interview and selection

Once your application (submitted via UCAS) has been forwarded to subject staff, your suitability is individually assessed. If you appear suitable, you will be offered an interview where you are required to sit a short subject specific interview/ examination.

The main purpose of the interview is to:

give you an insight into the nature of the course, the teaching profession and to assess your commitments to it

explore your subject strengths and areas for development

assess your ability to communicate effectively in spoken and written English

arrange a partnership school visit as necessary

assess knowledge and understanding of National Curriculum for Physical Education and Dance in schools

answer all of your questions

Pre-entry Professional Skills Tests

Applicants for initial teacher training (ITT) courses which begin in 2015/16 are required to have passed the skills tests before the start of the course. Further information is available on the Department for Education website.

You will not be eligible to register and take the tests until after you have submitted an application for an ITT programme. Those applicants who satisfy the above entry requirements AND who have passed both tests may be offered an interview before applicants who are still to complete the tests.

Please note that: Application forms should be able to demonstrate not only your depth of subject knowledge but also your enthusiasm and commitment to a career in teaching.

You will need to complete once you have a Conditional Offer, a current enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, a medical declaration clearance and a prohibition check prior to starting the course.

We wish you every success with your application.

Course modules

Over the one year course, you undertake two periods of University-based learning at Walsall Campus, and you spend at least 120 days divided between two different school placements across the 11-16 age range within the secondary age phase.

You will learn to draw on the theoretical principles underpinning Dance and Sport, and how to use this knowledge in your teaching to ensure student progress. You will contribute to the teaching of the National Curriculum for Dance and Physical Education key stage 3 and 4, as well as traditional examination Dance courses within the 11-18 programme.

All course modules provide examples of good practice in learning and teaching, embedding a variety of teaching and learning methodologies that will prepare you for life in the classroom including teacher-led debates, pupil-led exploration, peer-group discovery and the provision of individual targets. You will reflect upon these methods as you develop your own teaching repertoire and assess the impact on student progress - you will be expected to participate actively in your own learning and development.

Your University tutor is available to assist you throughout your training, and every effort is made to ensure you have a high-quality school placement, where you can learn from experienced subject mentors.

You will be assessed in a variety of ways including written assignments, school-based projects and other school-based activities, and appraisal of practical teaching skills via mentor and tutor observation.

PGCE: programme structure

Starting in September and ending in June the full-time route is the quickest and most condensed way for trainees to qualify and obtain QTS. 24 weeks of the PGCE course (total of 36) will be spent in schools. You will have one school attachment during the autumn term and another (in a different school) in the spring/summer terms.

The course comprises of a two day professional placement in mixed subject groups, two extended school placements in your subject specialism and two periods of University-based teaching – September to October; January to February. The programme also includes a Primary school placement and post 16 enhancement. Furthermore additional opportunities for a range of enhancements are offered (for example coaching awards, experience of special educational needs and teaching pupils with English as an additional language).

We try to take your geographical location into account when placing you in schools. The University based elements of the course take place at the Walsall Campus.

Typical modules may include:

Observation of teaching, before undertaking ‘sheltered’ teaching activities, for example teaching parts of lessons or groups of pupils within a class

Progression to teaching single or short sequences of lessons

Further development through planned classroom activities

Development of teaching skills as you move to sustained sequences of lessons

Research in the University and school on the use of ICT in the teaching of your subject

Generic pedagogical topics including PSHE

Fees

These fees are applicable for new entrants in 2018/9. Fees are for the academic year only, any subsequent years may be subject to an annual increase, usually in line with inflation.

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